Martinez was on one today and so were other people.

ly award. “Why not?” “Let’s just try again tomorrow, buddy,” before they start on a rampage again. This afternoon, I took two kids to the bathroom, and when we get there, one of my absolute favorite students, cutie pie, sweetheart (we all love him) looks at me and said, “Get away from me.” I averted my eyes downward and walked a few yards away. He followed me, sliding along the wall opposite of me. (This students is extremely psychotic, even on lots and lots of medication). So, I was practicing de-escalation with body language, and I looked away outside, at the back yard, grass and blue sky. When I turned back, he was gone, and the other kid, Charles, was coming out of the bathroom. I said, but where’d the other one go? We checked the bathrooms, and figured he ran back to the gym, which he can reach because they never fix the lock on the door the kids always bust out of to leave “area.” They can’t really get that far- def can’t get to outside. So Charles and I headed back to our classroom (I love Charles, too), and when we arrived, asking, “Did X come back?” Is he here? they looked at us with straight/serious faces and said, he did it again, he broke the computer. He had smashed the computer monitor for the 3rd time (he also broke the large screen TV before we got a new one in thick plastic case). My desk was a mess. So he had ran straight back to class and done it. Why?? I thought, then I asked, and was it perhaps because I set Cori’s paper figurines on top of the paper rectangular cube prism that computer-smasher had given me? Because before we went to the bathroom, he had knocked it off my desk onto the ground. We made him pick it up. That could be it? But you never know, with someone holding like 99 personalities, all of them trying to come out. I couldn’t believe how fast they replaced our computer monitor. Like within 2 hours! In the past, this has taken much longer. When students break your computer in these settings, usually admin does a couple things: blame you, (how could you let your kids smash your laptop don’t you know not to have it out during class?) punishment of not having a computer follows that. or 2) stall to see if you’ll even be there in 6 months because if you quit, giving you new hardware isn’t worth it. When I.T. brought in the new (to us) monitor, my student said with a rich, low mellow voice, BREAK THE COMPUTER My teammate Mary said oh no, oh no no. Let’s keep this one, or something. I’ll say it again. I love this kid. He could smash a million computer monitors and I’d never think less of him. He’s also maniacally obsessed with scary things, and probably witnessed his family being killed as a toddler. When he looks mad, he looks VERY scary. “Fix your face, damn.” we say. Don’t look like that. Nobody will want you in their group home. He gives us his most winning smile. They replaced the crown on his tooth today, actually, before school, but most likely he’ll pick it back off (the 600 dollar crown) with a sharp pencil, like he did the last two times. That’s what really bothers me, that we can’t make sure his teeth are okay. So he can bite more people, whatever and wherever his future may bring him. Just kidding. Watch yourself, though. Behind the smile is extreme madness. I wish we could protect him forever....